US officials decline to take sides in conflict

Share via e-mail

President Obama met with his national security team in the Situation Room of the White House for briefings on their calls to Egyptian leaders and other partners in the region.

By Josh LedermanAssociated Press
July 05, 2013

WASHINGTON — President Obama and his national security team tread delicately Thursday in the aftermath of the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, urging the restive nation to quickly return authority to a democratically elected civilian government and avoid violence.

The administration still declined to take sides in the volatile developments as Egypt’s military installed an interim government leader.

Ahead of Washington’s Fourth of July fireworks, Obama met with his national security team in the White House situation room for briefings on their calls to Egyptian leaders and other partners in the region, National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement.

The carefully worded messages conveyed ‘‘the importance of a quick and responsible return of full authority to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible,’’ Meehan said.

The series of calls by Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and national security adviser Susan Rice went to officials from Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, and Norway.

The US officials also urged a transparent political process in Egypt and the avoidance of ‘‘any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters,’’ Meehan said.

The delicate diplomacy highlights difficult policy choices for the administration.

If it denounces the ouster of Morsi outright, the United States could be accused of propping up a ruler who’s lost the public’s support. It’s a prospect with eerie echoes of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, whom the United States supported for decades before the 2011 revolution that cleared the path to power for Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood.

If it looks the other way, the United States could be accused of fomenting dissent or lose credibility on its commitment to the democratic process.

The administration is acting as if it accepts what happened in Egypt — and actually believes it could turn out for the best. At the same time, officials are attempting to keep their distance.

But the White House may also be concerned that in the short term, the situation could spiral out of hand, with the military using the clamoring in the streets as an excuse to confront the Muslim Brotherhood with excessive force. In bringing up US aid in conversations with Egyptians without cutting it off, the United States leaves itself room to escalate the situation if need be, but also to work with Egypt’s new government if it moves in the right direction.

After Morsi was forcibly removed from office, Obama said the United States would ‘‘not support particular individuals or political parties,’’ acknowledging the ‘‘legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people’’ while also observing that Morsi, an Islamist, won his office in a legitimate election.

‘‘We believe that ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people,’’ Obama said in a statement late Wednesday. ‘‘Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian armed forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.’’

He notably stopped short of labeling Morsi’s ouster a coup, leaving himself some wiggle room to navigate a US law that says the government must suspend foreign aid to any nation whose elected leader is ousted in a coup d’etat. But Obama did say he was ordering the government to assess what the developments portended for aid to Cairo. The United States considers the $1.5 billion a year it sends Egypt to be a critical US national security priority.